Although technology companies amaze with their life-changing breakthroughs, the industry has yet to invent a solution to one particular challenge: the crisis. In the consumer technology space, a brand can be threatened by something as simple as a bad product review, or as destructive as corporate malfeasance. Regardless, crisis experts know that every business eventually faces a threat to its reputation.

Whether the inevitable crisis is a product malfunction or a personnel problem, there is a science to crisis management. Here are five steps tech companies can take during halcyon days, and five strategies to adopt once a crisis occurs.

Pre-crisis checklist

1) The reputation audit. Businesses should identify their vulnerabilities and potential problem areas. Trouble spots for all companies include issues like personnel misconduct, while company-specific issues can include exaggerated claims about a product, lawsuits, or personal injury.

2) The crisis communications plan. Armed with a realistic picture of their weaknesses, companies can begin to draft a crisis communications plan. In an actual crisis, a company must act quickly to get ahead of rumor and speculation. A good crisis communications plan includes the initial holding statements for traditional media and the company’s owned media channels. The plan defines the members of the company’s crisis team and assigns roles and responsibilities.

3) Turning weaknesses into strengths. A company’s understanding its weaknesses also gives it the chance to proactively communicate improvements and progress. A “trust campaign” can build credibility among target audiences, neutralizing criticism before it builds.

4) Crisis training. Practicing a crisis plan is the best way to react with confidence once a real issue erupts. Using the crisis communications plan as a template, companies can run through various scenarios on a quarterly basis, with the opportunity to constantly test and improve.

5) Media monitoring. The first sign of a crisis or reputational threat often appears as a tweet, blog post or article comment. A plan for continual media monitoring gives companies the chance to respond to a potential crisis before it becomes a larger story.

Crisis checklist

6) Strategic messaging. A company’s core crisis message should communicate what is known about the issue, how it’s going to be fixed, and why the company should be trusted to make the necessary changes. Crisis management by smokescreen only encourages journalists and other stakeholders to keep digging, and keep writing. If a company has been vigilant about communicating its improvements, it will be able to draw on a community of advocates and a reservoir of trust to support its message.

7) Selective media outreach. In a crisis (and in general), not every reporter is a friend. Companies need to do their homework to decide which reporters get a live interview and which get an emailed statement. The strategy with traditional and social media should be to avoid confrontation and adopt a tone that is as cooperative and conciliatory is possible. Defensiveness only signals that there is an additional story to be uncovered.

8) The rules for a hostile interview. Never repeat the negative words in a question, don’t answer hypothetical questions, and think in terms of sound bites. If a spokesperson is worried about being misquoted, the company should make its own recording of the interview and let the reporter know the interview is being recorded.

9) Media monitoring. The system in place for media monitoring pre-crisis is even more critical now. The monitoring of print, web, broadcast coverage and social conversations in real-time lets companies understand how the story is being reported and whether strategy adjustments are necessary.

10) Keeping perspective. Doing nothing is a strategy. The outrage of one or two Twitter followers or a few angry customers does not justify cranking up the crisis machine. Keep in mind that a company’s external communications bring attention to the source of trouble. Proceed with caution.

]]>http://maxborgesagency.com/10-steps-to-protect-your-companys-reputation-3/feed/0Four Tips for Marketing Tech to Womenhttp://maxborgesagency.com/four-tips-marketing-tech-women/
http://maxborgesagency.com/four-tips-marketing-tech-women/#commentsMon, 02 Mar 2015 15:09:13 +0000http://maxborgesagency.com/?p=21103Women are earning, spending and influencing spending at a greater rate than ever before. This includes spending on traditionally male product categories like consumer electronics. With women accounting for about $7 trillion in consumer and business spending in the United States, tech companies are beginning...

]]>Women are earning, spending and influencing spending at a greater rate than ever before. This includes spending on traditionally male product categories like consumer electronics. With women accounting for about $7 trillion in consumer and business spending in the United States, tech companies are beginning to take note. Start-ups and tech giants are joining the fashion tech movement and creating gadgets designed specifically with women in mind.

Despite “let’s make it pink” and other common mishaps of marketing to women in the CE industry, several companies have implemented successful strategies for reaching the ever-important modern female consumer. Here are four top lessons from the brands getting it right.

Partner with trendsetters

Joining forces with trendsetters can help you find new design inspiration while also broadening your consumer reach. Look for a partner who brings expertise to the table in a development area for your company. What are the companies that inspire you? Which companies and brands are your female customers talking about? Which companies seem to be on the uptrend in terms of their media share?

This year fashion audio company FRENDS and fast-growing online accessories shop BaubleBar teamed up to create a series of embellished headphones with interchangeable caps. FRENDS’ original metallic headphones had been well-received by media and millennial women, but the partnership with BaubleBar delivered a fun new style that took the look of the headphones from casual to bejeweled chic, borrowing from the trend of statement necklaces and earrings. With BaubleBar’s more than 350,000 unique monthly website visitors, the partnership allowed FRENDS to reach a broader audience while also allowing BaubleBar to enter a new product category, consumer electronics.

One of the other most notable fashion tech collaborations of the year was MICA (My Intelligent Communication Accessory), designed by style mecca Opening Ceremony and engineered by Intel. The combination of the companies’ complementary areas of expertise – engineering and fashion design – resulted in a truly beautiful bracelet that is the first to fuse luxury jewelry with wearable tech.

Don’t underestimate the power of visuals

Always show your product in environments that resonate with your audience. Think about the type of woman you are targeting and what themes, influences and life events are most relevant to her now.

Stockholm-based The Case Factory does a magnificent job of creating compelling visuals that appeal to the luxury fashion enthusiast. The company crafts collections of exclusive leather cases and covers for smartphones and tablets that pair well with accessories from leading fashion houses. They even use the same tanneries that supply leather to Prada, Hermes and Bottega Veneta. Every one of The Case Factory’s images exudes quality and luxury, from the artistic snapshots of their Reptile Collection to the hip portraits of their Stockholm flagship store. The lust-worthy visuals immediately draw and retain the attention of their fashionable female audience and retail partners like Neiman Marcus, Barneys New York and Net-a-Porter.

Think about how your product can grow with women as they enter new life stages

If your product is targeted to females in a specific life stage (ex. new moms), think about how your product can transition and grow with women.

Bellabeat, a company that brings women innovative gadgets to track their health and make pregnancy less stressful, did just that with their new Balance scale. The smart scale helps women to safely track weight gain during pregnancy, and monitor results and baby’s progress in their connected app. Although incredibly useful for pregnant women and new moms, the Balance scale and its accompanying app allow women to track health and weight in every stage of their lives.

Stellé Audio also wins in this category with the Go-Go, a portable and mountable speaker that has a chic white and gold design with universal appeal. For active women, the speaker can be mounted to the handlebars of a beach cruiser or thrown into a bag to bring to the park. If babies come into the picture, the speaker is also mountable to stroller handlebars. The company even offers cute patterned covers for the speaker to make it fun for baby. The Go-Go is a complete departure from traditional music players designed for mom and baby that are brightly colored, big and clunky, and end up in the donation bin once the school-age years arrive.

Reach women where they shop

When selling gadgets to women, think beyond traditional CE retailers to reach women where they shop regularly. This may be top department stores like Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom, HSN, Target and even hip shops and boutiques like Fred Segal. Do not lump all female consumers together. Take a segmented approach, and think about your customer’s household income, shopping habits and daily routine. Talk to your female consumers for qualitative information that can help inform retail placement decisions. Consider using consumer research tools like Simmons National Consumer Survey that can provide details and insight on the habits of the female consumers you are targeting with your product – from their favorite stores to their online shopping behavior to their preferred mobile technologies.

]]>http://maxborgesagency.com/four-tips-marketing-tech-women/feed/0Wearable Fitness Devices Move into the Workplacehttp://maxborgesagency.com/wearable-fitness-trackers-christmas-tree-hrs-desk/
http://maxborgesagency.com/wearable-fitness-trackers-christmas-tree-hrs-desk/#commentsMon, 15 Dec 2014 18:45:14 +0000http://maxborgesagency.com/?p=21056One of the most interesting aspects of our work is helping a client expand into a new market, and the process is very similar for a start-up about to launch its first product or an established company eyeing a new customer base. Success requires so...

One of the most interesting aspects of our work is helping a client expand into a new market, and the process is very similar for a start-up about to launch its first product or an established company eyeing a new customer base. Success requires so much more preparation than simple designing the packaging. There are new sales and marketing collateral to create, new web site copy and pages to develop, new advertising options to consider, salesperson training and partner education sessions to hold, and trade show booth spaces to book. Not to mention identifying the media, bloggers, analysts and online communities that influence the customer’s purchasing decisions. The first step is to develop the key messaging that will serve as the foundation for all of these sales and marketing activities, and that is where the company’s marketing team and its agency partner play such a critical role. Sounds simple, but it can quickly grow complicated and frustrating as different departments weigh in with their recommendations. We work with several companies in the wearable fitness technology sector, and are helping a number of them through this process as they try to stay ahead of a market that is quickly moving from serving one niche audience to a much broader customer base.

Not long ago, heart rate monitors, GPA watches and bicycle speed and cadence sensors were developed primarily for serious athletes training for triathlons and marathons. They did not mind strapping expensive, unattractive and uncomfortable pieces of plastic and metal to their chests or attaching sensors to their bikes in order to gather data that could help improve their training regimens.

Today, as more people carry smartphones capable of aggregating and analyzing data streaming from different devices, manufacturers are developing wearable fitness tracking devices (a.k.a. “wearables”) that place equal emphasis on form, function and price point. These devices look like fashion accessories, are more affordable than their predecessors, and make it easier for the user to interpret how the information they provide can help him lose weight, lower blood pressure, improve sleep habits and exercise smarter.

So in a short time, we have seen companies like Nike, FitBit, Misfit, Wahoo!, Scosche and netatmo move from selling to hard core fitness enthusiasts to a much broader audience of consumers. Wearables have quickly become one of this holiday season’s must-have items alongside a new smartphone, tablet or videogame console. Many consumer tech sites like CNET and Engadgeteven have entire holiday gift guides devoted to wearables.

The money men are taking notice. Deals in the space increased by 135 percent in 2013, and are on track to surpass the $1 billion mark by the end of this year. However, the industry is still in its infancy, and money invested today does not guarantee success tomorrow.

The PwC Health Research Institute (HRI) warns that many consumers abandon their devices once the novelty of their new wearables… well… wear off. HRI this year conducted a survey of 1,000 U.S. consumers on their adoption of wearables. According to the report “Health wearables: Early days,” only one-in-five American adults owns a wearable, and of those owners, just one-in-10 use it every day.

The research also points to a new target customer: human resources professionals and CFOs. Not because they’re more likely to be out of shape than the average American, but because they are under pressure to help their companies reduce health care costs.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) emphasizes the importance of taking healthcare proactive measures over reactive ones. In other words, spend a little money and time now to improve your health to avoid the serious and costly consequences of diabetes, high blood pressure, poor nutrition and smoking later. That, in turn, should reduce healthcare costs for employees and employers.

ACA offers financial incentives to companies that take an active role in helping their employees take these proactive measures, opening a new market for manufacturers.

According to the PwC report, most consumers do not want to pay for their wearables. They would rather be paid to use them, and that companies who offer incentives for use may gain traction. HRI found that nearly 70 percent of consumers would wear employee-provided wearables streaming data to a database in exchange for rewards such as breaks on insurance premiums.

Convincing HR professionals and CFO’s to purchase wearables in bulk and distribute them to employees requires an approach that is very different from the one to consumers and fitness enthusiasts. Manufacturers must make the business case for how their wearables can help HR develop and roll out employee health programs that encourage more employees to participate and continue doing so year-round. The CFO wants to know how the investment will translate to a reduction in healthcare spending.

One of our clients, Jiff, can help our manufacturing clients do just that. Jiff has developed a platform that HR can use to aggregate the data streaming off all employees devices and apps, no matter the manufacturer, to determine the effectiveness of specific activities in terms of helping improve employees’ fitness levels and long-term engagement. Jiff recently secured more than $18 million in a Series B funding round, and along with its platform, has built a store that connects employers’ benefit design and incentives with consumer health products.

It has been fascinating to watch this market grow and evolve so quickly as we help our clients’ efforts to get their products and services in front of both consumers and enterprises. It’s also an excellent case study on the importance of identifying the key influencers who customers look to for research and guidance and developing messaging that will resonate with those influencers and customers before launching a campaign.

]]>http://maxborgesagency.com/wearable-fitness-trackers-christmas-tree-hrs-desk/feed/0The Holmes Global PR Summit 2014http://maxborgesagency.com/holmes-global-pr-summit-2014/
http://maxborgesagency.com/holmes-global-pr-summit-2014/#commentsThu, 30 Oct 2014 07:05:26 +0000http://maxborgesagency.com/?p=20929The Best Show in PR It goes without saying that the best events in the PR industry are put on by Paul Holmes and his team at the Holmes Report. This year’s Global PR Summit in Miami was no exception. PR leaders from around the...

It goes without saying that the best events in the PR industry are put on by Paul Holmes and his team at the Holmes Report. This year’s Global PR Summit in Miami was no exception. PR leaders from around the globe descended on South Florida to hear a diverse set of voices and debate the most pressing issues in the communications industry. A video summary of the Global Summit is located here at the Holmes Report.

The vast topic set included big data, humor, music, working with millennials and real-time marketing. But from my standpoint the most captivating talks I heard came from Jane McGonigal on what marketers can learn from game designers and the data-driven insights of political pollster, pundit and word wizard Frank Luntz on “It’s not what you say, but what people hear.”

While much ink has been spilled in the media on the negative aspects of gaming—violence in games, and lost productivity McGonigal’s research demonstrates that more gamers are engaged in social activity, working closely together with others online to achieve common goals, and that the emotions most strongly associated with gaming are positive. In fact, the top 10 emotions experienced when people play games are creativity, contentment, awe and wonder, excitement, curiosity, pride, surprise, love, relief, and joy.

Author, game developer and futurist Jane McGonigal

Games offer people that opportunity the engage. “It’s not just about entertainment, it’s about the ability to be passionately engaged,” McGonigal says. “Games can create sustainable, passionate engagement.” McGonigal closed her talk with a case study on a program she and her team did for the New York Public Library aimed at getting young people to visit the library. McGonigal’s research found that 75 percent of young people wanted to write a book someday, and designed a game that would allow the participants to become published authors.

As part of the program 10,000 young people applied—each of them writing an essay—to play the game and 500 winners were locked in the New York Public Library overnight to write a book. By the end of the night, the participants had created 1,184 stories about the kind of world they would like to make, and the in one night the participants wrote a book entitled, “100 Ways To Make History.” The book is now among the permanent collection at the Library and is considered “one of the most important books” in its collection.

Frank Luntz, a master of focus groups, messaging and political polling, showcased with machine-gun speed a vast array of research highlighting what people really want (when polled by Luntz few in the audience got it right).

As it turns out, people want more money, more choices, more time, better lifestyle, work-life balance, and fewer worries and fewer hassles. But when you examine the data by gender men are more focused on money, women are focused on time. Companies and politicians, he said, need to design their messages to address those needs.

Pollster and word-wizard, Frank Luntz

Said Luntz, “It’s all about the consumer, not the company.” In politics, he said, “It’s about how things impact ordinary people, not about ideology.”

Needless to say, we are looking forward to next year’s Global PR Summit. It’s always a great event.

]]>http://maxborgesagency.com/holmes-global-pr-summit-2014/feed/0A new look for the Max Borges Agencyhttp://maxborgesagency.com/a-new-look-for-the-max-borges-agency/
http://maxborgesagency.com/a-new-look-for-the-max-borges-agency/#commentsThu, 09 Oct 2014 16:57:35 +0000http://maxborgesagency.com/?p=20860Today marks the unveiling of a new look at the Max Borges Agency. But this is much more than just a new logo. We have strategically redefined the agency. Today we are much more than a PR firm. From our roots in technology media relations...

]]>http://maxborgesagency.com/a-new-look-for-the-max-borges-agency/feed/0Max Borges Agency Takes on the ALS Ice Bucket Challengehttp://maxborgesagency.com/max-borges-agency-takes-on-the-als-ice-bucket-challenge-2/
http://maxborgesagency.com/max-borges-agency-takes-on-the-als-ice-bucket-challenge-2/#commentsMon, 18 Aug 2014 20:26:20 +0000http://maxborgesagency.com/oldsite/?p=19993Most of you are aware of the latest online trend that has taken the Internet by storm: the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. The idea is to raise awareness for Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord....

]]>Most of you are aware of the latest online trend that has taken the Internet by storm: the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. The idea is to raise awareness for Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. While there is treatment available, there is currently no cure. The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge began as a way to raise awareness for the disease and help to raise funding for research. So team members here at the Max Borges Agency accepted a challenge and we called out a few friends to follow suit. Will you accept the challenge?

]]>Over the past few weeks I’ve read several takes on the Nielsen/inPowered MediaLab study evaluating the impact expert reviews, user reviews and branded content have on consumer familiarity, affinity and purchase intent. The general consensus was third-party expert reviews won out in all three areas, but none of those articles addressed how to run an effective reviews campaign.

There is a lot more to securing expert reviews than just shipping a sample to a key influencer, crossing your fingers and hoping for the best. Great review campaigns start with research and require precise timing and subtle influencer opinions to create the most positive outcome possible.

Let’s start with research. If you’re not doing your homework your luck will eventually run out no matter how great the product. Real PR pros know the products they pitch inside and out — the good, the bad and the ugly.

The best way to way to avoid a public surprise and negative coverage is through a critical review. Many journalists will evaluate a product and provide an unpublished write-up for a fee.

The resulting findings are then used to plan and adjust your strategy. If it’s early in the process you can tweak the product, but if you’re too far down the road to make changes you can deal with most issues through your messaging and marketing materials. You will always be better off acknowledging a shortcoming than allowing the media to uncover it for you and tell the world about it.

Research also applies to which influencers you target. You or your agency should be looking at what a particular media member enjoys writing about, studying their tone and understanding their impact on readers and followers. Reading a competitor’s reviews can provide great insight into how best to position your product in a way that addresses their shortcomings.

Knowing who not to send samples to is in some ways more important than who you do decide to target. If a competitor gets crushed and your product doesn’t win in the areas where they fell short, don’t send a sample to that outlet or influencer expecting different results.

With an understanding of what our product is and who we want to send it to let’s talk timing. Ideally you’re working with 4-6 months’ lead time to send samples under embargo. That much time is necessary if your plan includes long lead publications who are writing their November and December gift guides in June and July.

If you don’t have the luxury of advance samples you can still do well with just a month or so by targeting short-lead outlets like web, newspaper and TV.

Both scenarios work the same way and start with an honest conversation with the product manager about the expected ship date. No one benefits from being overly aggressive on the delivery date, and it usually leads to frantic calls begging influencers to hold their review.

Working backward from the ship date, you’ll need to set due dates for supporting materials and decide if you can deliver the samples in person or mailing them.

No matter how your products get to these editors and reviewers, clearly communicate on all collateral and in every conversation the date and time the embargo lifts and when reviews can be published. This will avoid coverage popping up before customers can buy your product, thus diminishing the ability of the review to drive traffic and sales.

With the Who, What and When answered let’s talk about how to influence reviewers. The best outlets and media members will often go radio silent during a review, but there are still opportunities to exert influence.

As I mentioned earlier, delivering samples in person is a great way to influence a reviewer. This gives you the opportunity to demo the product, so there are no questions or ambiguities regarding its intended use. A deskside demo or a few minutes at a media event can provide an opportunity to position the product in relation to competitors, customer needs, a trend or recent events.

A reviewer’s guide should be delivered with all product samples. The included collateral should reinforce positioning, anticipate questions and problems, communicate all features and benefits, provide step-by-step directions for setup and use, and contact information.

Scheduling a call after the influencer has spent some time with the product to answer any follow-up questions or address performance issues is critical. However, many media members will not participate in a second call making your initial meeting and reviewer’s guide all the more important.

In summary, expert reviews are a powerful tool to raise awareness and increase sales, but without planning and proper execution they can have an equally powerful negative impact on a product or brand.

]]>http://maxborgesagency.com/how-expert-product-reviews-impact-your-brand-2/feed/0Consumer Electronics Revenue Set to Break Industry Recordhttp://maxborgesagency.com/consumer-electronics-revenue-set-to-break-industry-record-2/
http://maxborgesagency.com/consumer-electronics-revenue-set-to-break-industry-record-2/#commentsWed, 16 Jul 2014 20:48:24 +0000http://maxborgesagency.com/oldsite/?p=19960It’s a good time to be in the consumer electronics business, according to a recent report delivered from the Consumer Electronics Association. It predicts that the total revenue in the industry will climb to a record $211.3 billion. The reason behind the boost? Connect device...

]]>It’s a good time to be in the consumer electronics business, according to a recent report delivered from the Consumer Electronics Association. It predicts that the total revenue in the industry will climb to a record $211.3 billion.

The reason behind the boost? Connect device sales have gone through the roof. Add to that a 517 percent growth in Ultra HD device revenue and you’ve got the perfect storm for generating major profits.

“Across the consumer electronics industry,” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of CEA, “companies are packing more innovative features than ever into products that have quickly become indispensable – even as the industry continues to introduce breakthrough innovations that are capturing the hearts, minds and imaginations of consumers across the nation. Emerging tech categories including wearable devices, Ultra HD TV and 3D printers are generating tremendous consumer excitement and cementing their place as the next generation of ‘must have’ products.”

In the report, Shapiro also said, “There has never been a more exciting time for the technology consumer.”

True for the consumer, but also true for those of us working on the other side of things. It’s a fun and interesting world to be a part of.

]]>http://maxborgesagency.com/consumer-electronics-revenue-set-to-break-industry-record-2/feed/0Tech the Halls: Max Borges Agency Hosting 2nd Annual Holiday Tech Showcasehttp://maxborgesagency.com/tech-the-halls-max-borges-agency-hosting-2nd-annual-holiday-tech-showcase-2/
http://maxborgesagency.com/tech-the-halls-max-borges-agency-hosting-2nd-annual-holiday-tech-showcase-2/#commentsWed, 18 Jun 2014 18:17:08 +0000http://maxborgesagency.com/oldsite/?p=19923It’s the middle of June and you’re consumed with sunny days, barbeques and weekend trips to the beach. Snowflakes, Christmas carols and Secret Santas are probably the last things on your mind, and that’s understandable. But with over 140 million Americans expected to shop this...

]]> It’s the middle of June and you’re consumed with sunny days, barbeques and weekend trips to the beach. Snowflakes, Christmas carols and Secret Santas are probably the last things on your mind, and that’s understandable. But with over 140 million Americans expected to shop this upcoming holiday season, getting a jumpstart on your shopping list may not be a bad idea, especially if waiting in long lines at the mall and getting up at 4:00am on Black Friday is not your cup of eggnog. And what’s usually on the top of everyone’s must-have holiday wish list? The latest and coolest tech gadgets.

So we’re packing our bags and heading to New York City to showcase the latest and greatest in tech from our clients at our second annual Holiday Tech Showcase. Tomorrow, from noon until 7 p.m., we’re taking over Gary’s Loft in Midtown West to showcase more than 100 products (some that haven’t even been announced publicly yet).

“The holiday season can be an incredibly tricky time to buy gadgets,” says Jessica Darrican, account director at Max Borges Agency. “Whether you’re buying for yourself or someone you love, every season you have to keep track of new gadgets, accessories and futuristic gizmos being released and prices being cut across many different product categories to get a good deal. If this isn’t something you keep your eye on regularly, it can all be overwhelming. Our agency represents more than 80 of the most innovative companies in the tech industry. We’ve rounded up the best gadgets in the most important categories for this year’s showcase to make shopping the easiest part of your holiday routine.”

]]>http://maxborgesagency.com/tech-the-halls-max-borges-agency-hosting-2nd-annual-holiday-tech-showcase-2/feed/0Introducing Michael Murphy, Business Consultanthttp://maxborgesagency.com/introducing-michael-murphy-business-consultant-2/
http://maxborgesagency.com/introducing-michael-murphy-business-consultant-2/#commentsMon, 16 Jun 2014 18:47:29 +0000http://maxborgesagency.com/oldsite/?p=19911As you may know, our agency is rapidly growing; we just officially announced the opening of our second office, on the other side of the country in San Francisco, along with the announcement of our new executive vice president, Michael Young. Now we have another...

]]>As you may know, our agency is rapidly growing; we just officially announced the opening of our second office, on the other side of the country in San Francisco, along with the announcement of our new executive vice president, Michael Young.

Now we have another announcement to make: we recently retained the service of Michael Murphy, senior partner at Michael Murphy & Ltd and former chairman of Grayling, to serve as business consultant.

“Michael brings over 35 years of international communications experience to Max Borges Agency’s expanding business,” said Max Borges, founder and CEO. “With his extensive experience in helping market-leading companies articulate vision, engaging stakeholders, and his dedication to delivering high-level, customized business solutions, Michael will be integral to our firm’s rapid and strategic growth.”

Said Michael of his new role with the agency, “I am looking forward to helping Max and his senior team to capitalize on the opportunities to further grow and develop its business.”

Michael’s firm, Michael Murphy & Ltd, focuses on realignment, growth and process effectiveness for companies. Prior, Michael served as chairman of Grayling, a global public relations, digital marketing and government relations firm.